DENISE Vale knows what a 1000 macarons look like. They are often spread from one end of her kitchen to the other.

Colourful trays of pink, green, yellow and blue pillows lie waiting to be delicately devoured by the sweetest teeth of all.

Mrs Vale has patience and a lot of it. Along with her talents as a pastry chef, patience is the one tool you need when baking the perfect macaron.

Sometimes the smallest treats are worth all the effort.

For the past three years, Mrs Vale has been creating any flavour macaron you can think of, from Vegemite to fairy bread, through her business Macaron Emporium.

The first time Mrs Vale tried a macaron was on a long weekend trip to Melbourne with a few girlfriends.

Among the side streets and inner city cafes, they found one place where her three-day macaron addiction began.

Upon her return to Mackay, Mrs Vale couldn't stop thinking about macarons, and at the time not many places were selling them.

So in her kitchen, she started to experiment and baked dozens of macarons for the markets.

"I started at the North Queensland Baby and Kids Market, and I made up to 1000 macarons at that market and they sold out within a couple of hours".

It took her three days to make 1000 macarons in her home oven. But when she uses the industrial oven at Woodman's Axe it takes her a few hours.

Mrs Vale said macarons were temperamental to make, because they don't like the humidity.

"One thing is, you don't know if they have worked out until you open up the oven, because every batch something can go wrong," she said.

"All your ingredients have to be weighed to the gram, so if you are a bit off with an egg white it becomes sloppy or they collapse; they can turn into a volcano, because the oven temperature is too high."

When it comes to her process and utensils, she never changes them. She uses the same bowl, mixer and spatula. It is like crossing her fingers hoping they bake just perfect.

I do have a sweet tooth but I never eat what I make, I don't eat any of my macarons. My partner is over them, but he will try new flavours for me. I will try everybody else's

But there have been times where her lucky charm process hasn't worked out, and it can be disappointing and frustrating, especially when you have spent a fortune on almond meal.

However, no matter what state the macarons come out of the oven like, her partner takes the 'dodgy' ones out to the mines at Blackwater.

"He takes them out to the boys, and they don't care, they are getting sweet treats, they are not going to waste," she said.

"He is pretty popular out there. If I am doing a market day I can send three dozen out there."

Growing up in Hobart, Tasmania, Mrs Vale grew up with her Nan baking beside her. But it was her aunt, who worked at Woolworths, who got her a pastry chef apprenticeship.

From there she has worked all around Australia and New Zealand.

"I do have a sweet tooth but I never eat what I make, I don't eat any of my macarons. My partner is over them, but he will try new flavours for me. I will try everybody else's.

"It is all about the Cronut, that I have coined Deenut, and my canonllis."

She said the Cronut started off in America it is actually trademarked.

"It is a croissant and a donut, it is filled with custard.

"I have been doing blueberry, mango and passionfruit, redskin and salty caramel. Those flavours go into the custard and then icing over the top".

She said people want fresh, homemade baked goods, not something that has been frozen.

People love macarons for weddings, favours, baby showers and birthdays.

Each time she is at the markets at the Mackay Showground, she always has a visit from her regular customers.

"People like making their own packs up, so I have the display cabinets where they come in and choose the colours and flavours.

Some flavours are unique to Mrs Vale, including one made of fairy bread.

"I use an actual slice of fairy bread with hundreds and thousands, which is whizzed up and put through a ganache.

"The other one I like is deep-fried Mars bar. I deep fry it, then put it in the ganache. It is really rich, and the other is my Snickers macaron. It is popular," she said.

"You can make any flavour. I don't like using essences or bottled flavourings. I like using fresh fruit and lemon, making a coulis and cool it down and add it to the ganache."

Mrs Vale said ever since she made Australia Day inspired macarons of Vegemite, Milo and Lamingtons and posted them on Facebook, it has picked up and had not slowed down.

For more information or to order some baked goods, log on to Macaron Emporium on Facebook or pop into Woodman's Axe at Northern Beaches.

Learn how to make macarons...from someone who knows

DENISE Vale delights in sharing her love of baking with others. She does this by hosting 'how to make macaron' classes throughout the year.

Mrs Vale teaches students the techniques and what equipment is needed to make a macaron.

She said she could fit 12 people in her small home and many were surprised by how hard making macarons could be.

"It is not like pavlova, where you have to be so gentle. It is making sure your sugar syrup is a right temperature, that you weigh you egg whites and you slowly fold.

"It is all about the piping and if you are not even with your piping that can affect them as well."

She said the students came in and watched, had a light supper, had a go at baking and got to fill their macarons and take them home.

Some of the tools you need are a hands-free mixer, because you are doing three things at once, a really great piping bag, a sugar thermometer and Wilton's food colouring gel.